NIH Head Can't be a Nanny

It has come to my attention that the National Institutes of Health has funded research to show that the tea party is under the influence of the tobacco lobby.  When asked about this in a Congressional hearing, the head of the NIH gave a really strange response.  Dr. Francis Collins said that the NIH can’t be a “nanny” monitoring the contents of every research paper it funds. 

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/342622/tea-tobacco-and-science-brendan-p-foht

Given the intrusiveness of today's government, Dr. Collins' contention that the NIH can't be a nanny to every research topic it funds is ludicrous.  As always, the rules are constantly changing to suit liberal outcomes.  For an example of how much of a nanny government can be when it wants to be, check out George Will's story today on the expulsion of a 7 year old for biting his pop tart into the shape of a gun.  Clearly, liberals have absolutely no shame.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-will-schools-protecting-us-from-the-pop-tart-terrorist/2013/03/08/6a636fdc-8752-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394_story.html

John Kerry Will Never Get My Respect

Every liberal in creation wants me to respect John Kerry for his service in Viet Nam  It ain’t going to happen.  John Kerry is the reason I got spit at during the Viet Nam War for wearing the uniform. His testimony before Congress was that everybody in the military was to blame for the war. He also said that most every US soldier in Viet Nam was a war criminal. Civilian hostility to the military was so bad then, I developed a routine to handle it. Keep in mind I was an Air Force ROTC cadet and then a computer programmer in an air defense unit. Neither was very threatening.  People on campus used to call me a "trained killer." I would respond, "Do you really believe I'm a trained killer?" They would say yes. Then I would ask, "Then why are you pissing me off?" All I can say is thank you, John Kerry. I will never forgive or forget.

Sequester Cuts as Drug Ad Disclaimer

These cuts are not for everyone.  In some liberals, these cuts can cause blindness, nausea, anxiety and even rectal leakage.  Do not take these cuts if you have allergic reactions to tea.  Consult your Senators before taking these cuts.  They may have alternative cuts that might reduce undesirable side effects. 

Defense Cuts: Scope Creep or Horse Cavalry Charges

Any consideration of DOD procurement has to start with the way the development projects are managed.  First, the way initial program requirements are set is to state every aspiration that exists for "the next generation" of whatever weapon system without too much consideration of what's available off the shelf.  Once that's done, constant changes are allowed throughout the development process.  They almost have to be allowed because of the wish list way the initial requirements are set.  So then the way the requirements dance around becomes a text book case of what is known in the project management trade as scope creep.  Scope creep is also known to be absolutely fatal to any development process.  Just one example, it seems that the ejection seat for the F-35 is a developmental item.  Why did we have to move away from the existing family of ejection seats?  Anyway, moving to a new seat didn't work out so now we are moving back to the existing family of ejection seats after spending all kinds of money on developing the new ones.  http://www.f-16.net/f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-16239.html  Can't we just decide we're going to field a system based on what's available now?  That way we wouldn't have to be flying planes that average 26 years old. http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/aging-array-of-american-aircraft-attracting-attention-0901/   For example, we are still flying B-52 aircraft.  The B-52 design originally entered service in 1955.  The B-52 bombers currently in service were built in the early 1960's.  If we didn't gold plate every bomber system design we try to build, we might have been able to replace them with something a little easier to maintain.  The current pattern seems to be we have outrageously advanced designs which we develop, but can’t afford to build.  So we either cancel them and get nothing, or build very limited numbers. Either way we have to use obsolescent weapons to make up the difference.

               On the other hand, extreme cuts in defense can kill a lot of people. Just one example, the last US horse cavalry charge was by the 26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scouts) against Japanese tanks in 1942. They had few anti-tank weapons and ran out of anti-tank ammunition. They attacked tanks on horseback with grenades and pop bottles full of gasoline. Needless to say, most of them were killed. See http://hnn.us/node/139372 for more details.

               There has to be a middle ground between gold plated weapons too expensive to buy and not enough of the right kind of weapons.